Reliance Jio displayed its connected car technology at the Delhi Auto Expo 2020. The company became the country’s first telecom player to venture into the ‘smart-automobile’ segment. Reliance Jio is slowly moving towards becoming an Internet of Things (IoT) solutions provider rather than just a mobile service.
The solutions displayed by the company reveal components like hardware connectivity. The platform will also allow scaling based on user-requirement as well as the data security involved. Reliance Jio is said to be in discussions with automobile manufacturers and fleet management companies for the installation of these solutions. However, that is still not confirmed officially.
“Jio will exhibit car connect vehicle tracking system for transport service providers, logistics companies. With this expo, Jio will demonstrate the role of connectivity, network and technology for connected vehicles of the future,” said a person aware of the development to LiveMint, requesting anonymity.
A connected car offers a lot of functionality to users. These can help make driving both easier and safer. The service will also allow drivers to get notifications on fuel usage, over-speeding and prevent accidents through smart emergency brakes. Moreover, users will get help on essential elements like route management, vehicle telemetrics and diagnostics.
A similar partnership emerged in October 2019 when Vodafone-Idea and South Korean brand Kia Motors signed a partnership for the UVO connected car system in India. Vodafone Idea’s ecosystem of IoT will boost Kia via integration of voice, 3G/4G data and SMS services. The Kia Seltos SUV, for instance, has 37 smart features such as AI voice command, stolen vehicle tracking and immobilization, auto collision notification, emergency assistance and more.
Reliance Jio may be looking at partnering with automobile manufacturers
With the growth of electric and hybrid vehicles, the connected car concept is expected to gain more momentum in the near future. Right now, in India, very few vehicles run on this technology. We could see more collaborations between telecom service providers and automobile manufacturers. However, Reliance Jio declined to comment on partnerships with manufacturers.
